Gas-retort



Patented Aug. 9, 1859.

' C. A. ROBBE.

Gas Retort.

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CHARLES A. ROBBE, OF AUGUSTA, GEORGIA.

GAS-RETOR-T.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,046, dated August 9, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. Roman, of Augusta, in the county ofRichmond and State of Georgia, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Retorts for the Manufacture of Gas for Illuminating andother Purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichFigure 1, represents a side view of a retort constructed according to myimprove ment; Fig. 2, a horizontal section thereof; Fig. 3, a back endelevation, and Fig. t, a transverse vertical section.

Similar letters of reference, in each of the several figures indicatecorresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists in a gas generating chamber of aretort, made in two parts, when the said parts are constructed so as tolock together and form a tight joint by the simple act of sliding oneportion into gear with the other, substantially as hereinafter setforth.

To enable others, skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, A, is the generating chamber of the retort into which is put wood,coal, oil or any carbonaceous gas making material, the distillation ofwhich is effected by the action of fire on the bottom of said chamber.This chamber A, A, is divided horizontally into two sections or made upof two distinct parts, the upper part A, forming the main portion andhaving connected with it an up per traversing chamber B, that passes thegas as it is evolved, through an opening in the rear, back to the frontend of the retort, from whence it is passed through openings a, a,controlled by valves into one, two or more purifying chambers C, C,containing charcoal or other purifying material at a high temperatureand provided with outlets 7), 5, controlled by valves 0, c, forregulating the escape of the purified carbonaceous into a receivingchamber D.

The upper section A, of the generating chamber is provided with sidelugs (Z, (Z, (Z, of bevel formation on their upper surfaces and thelower section A, furnished with corresponding or female locking strapse, e, e, for the lugs to fit into and wedge the two sections together bysliding the lower sec tions horizontally and in an endwise directioninto gear with the upper section. The lugs, if preferred may be on thelower section and the lockingstraps on the upper one. The lower plate orsection A, has grooves f, f, in it for the bottom edges of the uppersection to fit and pack into so as to form a close air or gas tightjoint between the two sections by the action of the bevel lugs and theirlocking straps, and that of the retort cover, drawing the two sectionstogether. This forms a tight mode of uniting the two sections atdifierent points along their sides, and yet offers every facility forremoving the lower section or bottom plate of the generating chamber ofthe retort when the action of the fire has injured or destroyed it andit needs replacement by another, or whenever the removal of said plateis otherwise desirable, a slight move ment only being required, as shownby red linesin Fig. 1, to effect the separation of the two sections. Themain or upper section not being subject to such rapid destruction,seldom needs replacement. Of course the form of the retort need not beprecisely as shown. It may be of circular or other shape.

E, is an upper chamber in the retort into which water is fed by a pipeg, which water is converted into steam by its passage over heated platesor pieces of wrought iron that absorb the oxygen in the water, and thesteam passing out of an outlet h, in the rear causes the hydrogen tomeet in the receiving chamber D, with the carbonaceous gases from thepurifying chambers C, C. The utility of supplying hydrogen to mix withthe carbonaceous gases is well understood, and to produce a thoroughmixing of the two prior to or during the passage of both gases to thecondenser, I provide a feather wheel F, as a suitable automatic devicefor operation in connection with the chambers C, E, for mechanicallymixing the two gases in their passage from the receiving chamber D, saidwheel being so arranged as that the gases must pass therethrough andoperate the same in their passage from the receiving chamber D, to thecondenser.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is Agas generating chamber of a retort, made in tWo parts, when the saidparts are constructed so as to lock together and form a tight joint bythe simple act of sliding one portion into gear With the other, substan-10 tially as herein set forth.

The above specification of my improvement in retorts signed by me this28th day,

of April 1859. v

CHAS. A. ROBBE. WVitnesses:

THOMAS RUSSELL, J. MORRIS.

